Sheriff's Office Seeks Help Finding Theft Suspect

BARTOW | The Polk County Sheriff's Office is asking the public's help in finding a man deputies say stole personal property from Polk County schools during an eight-day period in January.

By ROBIN WILLIAMS ADAMSTHE LEDGER

BARTOW | The Polk County Sheriff's Office is asking the public's help in finding a man deputies say stole personal property from Polk County schools during an eight-day period in January.Don Cornelius Stephens, 38, is suspected of having entered three schools and having taken items, during school hours, from at least two of them.Two reported thefts were on Jan. 24. At 1:30 p.m. that day, a student at Sikes Elementary School, 2727 Shepherd Road in Lakeland, saw a man believed to be Stephens leave one classroom and enter another. Witnesses mistakenly thought the suspect was a custodian.A teacher reported missing a wallet and another reported missing her purse.Detectives investigating the Sikes incident learned a similar visit had occurred about an hour earlier at Purcell Elementary, 305 First St., N.E., in Mulberry. The two schools are less than five miles apart.A Purcell employee said an unknown man entered the main office through a door intended only for employees. Asked if he were there to speak to the principal, the man said he had already spoken to the principal and left the building.Stephens is believed to be involved in a theft Jan. 17 at Davenport School of the Arts, 4751 County Road 547 N., in Davenport. Two wallets and a cell phone were taken, the Sheriff's Office said.No children were at the Davenport school because it was a teacher workday.Stephens was released from Florida State Prison on Dec. 23, 2013, after completing a sentence for committing similar crimes in 2009 at four elementary schools, Sheriff Grady Judd said in a media release.Stephens is described as being about 5 feet, 6 inches tall, with an average build and a clean-shaven head and face.Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Angie Macke at 863-499-2400 or 863-298-6200.

[ Robin Williams Adams can be reached at robin.adams@theledger.com or 863-802-7558. Read her blog at robinsrx.blogs.theledger.com. Follow on Twitter @ledgerROBIN. ]